YUCAIPA: City considers raising trash disposal rates

The Yucaipa City Council will consider raising trash disposal rates when it meets Monday, June 10.

A staff report presents the council three options for residential rates. Under the first, the 15-gallon and 30-gallon rates would each go up 75 cents and the 60-gallon rate would go up 17 cents. Under option two, the 15-gallon rate would climb $1.25, the 30-gallon rate would go up 99 cents and the 60-gallon rate would stay the same. Under option three, the 30-gallon rate would increase $1.14 and the 15 and 60-gallon rates would stay the same.

Commercial rates would increase, too.

If approved by the council, the higher rates will go into affect July 1.

W.J. McCasland, who has lived in Yucaipa since 1955, sent the city a protest letter. He writes, “I’m opposed to the rate increase as it stands. You and everyone preach producing less trash, but with this proposal you penalize us with small trash containers a $.75 cent increase and reward those with large trash containers with only $.17 cent increase. Does this give a person any incentive to conserve?

A city staff report says the new rates are based on such factors as an operator fee increase and a landfill disposal increase.

Monday’s meeting starts at 6 p.m. and will be held in the council chambers at Yucaipa City Hall, 34272 Yucaipa Blvd.

The City Council also is scheduled to review a draft version of the city’s 2013-14 budget. According to the staff report, the final version could come back to the council June 24.

A summary of the budget says operating revenues exceed expenditures and that the budget was drafted with the expectation that development activity will remain slow.

Follow Erin Waldner on Twitter @PE_ErinWaldner and online at blog.pe.com/Redlands